How to Prepare a Babysitter to WatchYour Child with Food Allergies

The people we trust to take care of our food allergic children hold a special place in our heart, particularly babysitters. Whether you are hiring a sitter for the first time or it is already part of your regular routine, we all need to thoroughly prepare our sitters. Spokin's checklist and 60 second auto-injector videos make leaving easier – knowing you've covered all the bases. Save this resource in the Spokin app for easy access and sharing.

With the growing popularity of on demand babysitting services, like UrbanSitter, it's helpful to have an easily accessible and shareable checklist to reference for everyone who cares for your child. See the UrbanSitter featured sitters from around the country who have experience managing food allergies. We are grateful to UrbanSitter for the special offer of $50 for Spokin app users — redeem your coupon code in the Spokin app!

Interview Questions

What is your experience with food allergies?

Look for: A clear understanding of the severity of food allergies, demonstrating attention to detail and a conscientious attitude.

Red flag: Someone who claims that being on a lifestyle diet means they understand food allergies. Or someone who doesn't have any interest in learning about food allergies if they are inexperienced.

Are you trained or have you ever had to use an auto-injector?

Look for: Sharing why they have experience will help give you a better understanding of their familiarity with food allergies. If they have had to use an auto-injector, find out what circumstances led to using one and how they knew to use it.

Red flag: They had to use an auto-injector because they mistakenly let a child eat an allergen.

If you are not familiar with food allergies, do you feel capable of learning and being ready to administer an auto-injector?

Look for: Someone who can give examples of a previous situation in which they were responsible for a high standard of care for an individual. Someone who displays empathy, takes the situation seriously, and feels confident they can take action in an emergency situation.

Red flag: If they are not comfortable giving an auto-injector this is their opportunity to let you know.

Before Your Sitter Arrives

Consider special requests you might want to make.

This is a chance to make any special requests that will keep your home safe. For some that list could include asking that he or she doesn't bring any food into the house, having your sitter avoid eating allergens before coming to the house, brushing their teeth before they come over, or washing their hands when they get there.

Plan for time to train.

Have them arrive early enough to give you plenty of time to go over all the details of care and answer any questions.

Communicating Care

Share your child's food allergies.

List your child's food allergies and explain how severe they are.

Discuss what food your child can eat while you're gone.

Let the sitter know if your home is free of your child's food allergens and if they can eat anything in the house. If you do have allergens in your home (i.e. families that have kids with different allergies), consider preparing a list of safe and unsafe foods for each child. If needed, share what exposure will cause a reaction (for example: eating, touching, breathing in).

Leave Emergency Contact Numbers.

Leave contact numbers for both parents as well as the phone number of where you will be. Be sure your sitter has a charged phone if you do not have a landline.

Reactions and Instructions

Teach your sitter what an allergic reaction looks like.

Although every reaction can be different, it helps to lead the conversation by describing any reactions your child has had in the past, but be clear that future reactions may not be the same. It is important to educate and describe mild and severe symptoms, including:

Spokin Babysitter Resources

Spokin has created auto-injector tutorial videos for Epi-Pen (available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin), Epi-Pen Generic, and Adrenaclick Generic — each under one minute long. We have also provided a video tutorial for AUVI-Q.

Videos

We love UrbanSitter because you can filter your search on their site and find only sitters who have experience with food allergies! UrbanSitter is offering a $50 credit for their services — redeem your coupon code in the Spokin app.

Featured Sitters

Boston

HelenExperience: Nursing student, first aid trained and experience with children with allergies, she actually was there, with the parent, when the child had her first allergic reaction (to eggs) and the sitter knew what to do.UrbanSitter Profile:https://www.urbansitter.com/app/sitter/231331

Brooklyn

San Francisco

KarenExperience: Prior certification medication administration, I have used an epipen once in a pool setting, bee sting. I have worked with children with dairy. nut and strawberry, tomato allergies.UrbanSitter Profile: https://www.urbansitter.com/app/sitter/1370417

Orange County

ElizabethExperience: I have been trained on proper use of an Epi Pen by the Garden Grove Unified School District. I was also a 1 on 1 for a middle school student who had a severe peanut allergy.UrbanSitter Profile:https://www.urbansitter.com/app/sitter/1375737

You should always take precautions and use appropriate judgement to protect yourself and others under your care with regard to food allergies. Spokin’s content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Additional information.